A small business incubator in Hamden has received a $4 million boost from the federal government.
The Lab at ConnCORP provides office space, advisors, workshops and more to minority-owned businesses.
Winter Carson is the founder and owner of Blush Beauty and Wellness. She has been at The Lab for two years and has benefitted from access to programs like the Quinnipiac University Cohort.
“It truly does feel like a family effort,” Carson said. “I’m very blessed to have grown my business here. I have such a community of wealth."
Erik Clemons is the CEO of the Connecticut Community Outreach Revitalization Program, which runs the lab. He thanked U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who toured the facility on Thursday, for securing the funding.
“The $4.1 million is great in terms of resources, but even greater than that is the authentic demonstration of care that you all have given to a community that needs it,” Clemons said. “And if folks believe that you care, then they have hope. And so you both, Senators Blumenthal and Murphy, have given us hope.”
The $4 million will allow The Lab at ConnCORP to expand its facility and programming, and make room for more small businesses.
“This investment is as good as any penny we spend on anything else in the United States of America,” Blumenthal said. “The reason is, very simply, it's a force multiplier when you put dollars into investing in new businesses. One-hundred businesses, every year, will emerge from ConnCORP, as a result of this investment. We're changing a community, we're growing an economy, we're giving people jobs, it makes a real-life difference.”
